Ice Breakers

Ice Breakers with Lion Grunenberg

March 16, 2023

Lion Grunenberg is the Co-founder and CEO of Mediclick, an online pharmacy that provides care and services to people with chronic conditions.

Mediclick recently closed a $300k pre-seed round from investors like Romlas Health Group. 

👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

I run an online pharmacy without any physical stores

🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

Some friends and I introduced techno to Myanmar in 2017. When we started out, we would only get foreigners to come to our parties, but nowadays, there is a local scene with exciting talent. 

🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

My biggest achievement was a $2.3M public/private agriculture project I landed for my company in Myanmar in 2018. Still, I have to say that I am currently very proud of offering health insurance to my team, something my previous companies never provided.

🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?

This has to be ChatGPT and the AI wars. After the initial launch hype, we already see the cracks in the products these last weeks. Big businesses competing (Microsoft vs. Google) plus huge potential societal impact make for cracking stories.

💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry? 

Don't feel bad about taking a rest or time for friends and family! There will always be 20 things left on your plate, but it just isn't feasible to keep going indefinitely (I am still very much struggling with this to this day).

🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours? 

World politics, both of my parents are Political Science PhDs, and even though I went the capitalist route, I am still fascinated by how societies and powers interact on a world stage.

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show? 

It has to be Californication, but to clear my mind before bedtime is definitely Modern Family (also my sole reason for getting Disney+).

🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?

In chronological order throughout my life: lemon, pistachio, vanilla, hazelnut.

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